Betrayal
by Jenny70529
Summary: Will Greg and Sara finally be reunited, or will she turn to Nick for comfort? Will this Angelle chick ever go away? Sequel to Shadows. NickSaraGregAngelle
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! Here's the next story in this little twisted series...We started with "Remorse", went to "Denial", then to "Jealousy", "Shadows", and now we're here on "Betrayal". I wouldn't even begin to have an idea what to call this. lol.

I live for feedback, so please be kind and hit the reply button, especially if you want me to continue. Replies are what makes the world go 'round. Or at least what gets me writing. Thanks to Emmithar for assisting me with the end of this chapter, if she wasn't around, we wouldn't have gotten this far, because I would have quit somewhere around chapter 2 of Shadows. You're the best. I dedicate this to her.

Sara and Nick this chapter, Greg and Angelle will make an appearance next chapter, as well as Catherine and Warrick (haven't forgotten them). Hopefully I'll have something up bynext weekend if replies are inspiring enough.

Jenny

**Betrayal:**

"It's a great musical." Sara complained, "It's so much better than the Discovery channel special on sharks."

Nick threw a piece of popcorn at her, "Weren't you ever taught that you shouldn't control the remote at other people's houses?"

"Isn't this a movie-fest to cheer _me_ up?" Sara protested with a smile, "We're watching _Rent_."

Nick groaned, taking the DVD from her hand and walking to the entertainment center, "You're the last person on earth that I thought would like _Rent_."

"Why? I like music. I like movies. It's a good story." Sara said with a content smile as she nestled herself into the couch, "Except for the part where--"

Nick held up his hand, "I don't want to hear it, you'll ruin the movie for me."

"You don't even want to watch it."

"But I am, so you have to at least give me the pleasure of watching it without you telling me everything that is going to happen." Nick replied, throwing the remote to her, "Another beer?"

Sara nodded, finishing off the last of her first bottle, "Definitely."

Nick wandered into the kitchen, leaving Sara alone in the bedroom, accompanied only by her own troubling thoughts. It had been three long weeks since Greg's attack, and she still hadn't been allowed to see him, despite her daily efforts to visit and/or call him. Every call was intercepted by that horrible woman, Angelle, and every nurse on Greg's floor had been instructed by her not to let any visitors enter. Catherine, Grissom, and Warrick had gone by twice to visit, only to be turned away.

She had been relying heavily on Nick for companionship and comfort since Greg's attack, and she had been surprised to find that all of the animosity between them had instantly vanished that night in the hospital. He had been nothing but supportive, he had even tried to get her in to see Greg, only to be turned away just as the others had been.

She took a deep breath, refusing to let herself get upset right now. She couldn't cry on Nick's shoulder again, that was all she had been doing for weeks now. She was jolted out of her thoughts when Nick sank onto the couch, holding the brown bottle out to her, "Your beer."

"Thanks." Sara replied, taking it from him and pointing the remote at the TV, "You'll love it, I don't know anyone who doesn't like _Rent._"

Nick rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his beer, "I don't do musicals, Sidle."

A little over two hours later, Sara was turning the DVD player off, wiping tears from her eyes, only to look at Nick and see he was doing the same.

"You liked it." She stated, a grin on her face, "Admit it, you liked it. You cried."

Nick shook his head, blushing slightly, "I'm not crying, I just got something in my eyes."

"Yeah, tears." Sara scoffed, "You liked it."

Nick stood, stretching, "It was long."

"But you liked it."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Okay, you win, I liked it. I even have some of the stupid songs stuck in my head."

"Yeah, that's the downfall of _Rent_, you'll be singing the songs for days, even if you don't know the words." Sara replied with a smirk, "If you really want to, we can watch your Shark documentary now."

Rubbing his eyes, Nick shook his head, "Nah, I'm going to hit the sack. Feel free to crash here, you've more than a couple of beers...I don't know if you want to chance it."

"Yeah, I'll take the couch." Sara replied, grabbing the throw blanket she had been covered with during the movie, "Can I catch a ride with you to work tonight?"

Nick nodded as he yawned, pointing this thumb towards his bed, "You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch." Seeing her gearing up to protest, he shook his head, "I insist."

"Thanks." Sara replied, heading towards his room, pausing in the doorway, "Nicky?"

Nick looked up, meeting her gaze, and she smiled, "Thanks for everything you're doing for me."

"I hardly call watching a musical something to thank me over." Nick replied with a wink to show her he knew exactly what she had been talking about.

As Nick made himself comfortable on the couch, Sara sank onto his soft bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She made a motion to turn off his bedside lamp, but as her fingers brushed against the phone cord. She paused for a moment before picking up the phone. With a resigned sigh, she began dialing a number she had learned by heart, she hoped she'd be able to get through.

Nick sighed as he closed his eyes, knowing that this time couldn't possibly be any different from the rest. Every night she'd make the same phone call, argue with the same receptionist, only to slam the phone down in frustration after her call was inevitably denied. He would ask her if she was okay, she'd insist that everything was fine. After all, Greg was a grown man, he could choose who he wanted to speak with. She'd follow with a statement that if he didn't need her, that was all the better, because she could function perfectly well without him. She would turn off the lamp before he could see her crying, although he could hear her soft sniffles, and he'd end up comforting her, holding her close while whispering false promises in her ear until they both fell asleep.

Nick couldn't help but watch as she stood, cordless phone in her trembling hand, and paced the room anxiously. As if feeling his eyes on her, she turned away from him as she spoke. "Room 336 please...Sara Sidle..."

Knowing the outburst that was sure to follow, Nick sighed and sat up, kicking his blanket off while running his fingers through his hair. How long would this have to go on before she finally began to move on?

He turned his attention to the conversation when her voice rose slightly. Even though her back was towards him, he could envision the look of shock on her face as she spoke, "What do you mean he was discharged? When did this happen?...Of course I know I'm not his emergency contact, but I'm his girl--I'm his friend. Doesn't that count for anything? Could you try not to be rude for one night out of the month?...Did he leave a forwarding address? What do you mean you can't tell me? I work with the crime lab, I--Never mind."

She hung up the phone, flinging it towards the wall as she collapsed onto the bed with a moan. "He was discharged this morning."

Nick moved to the bed, stroking her back gently, "He'll--"

"Don't tell me he'll call. We know he won't. Why should he? I'm not his girlfriend anymore, I'm not his anything. That voodoo freak is with him, and apparently that's all he needs."

Nick continued to stroke her back in silence, letting her calm down while he tried to come up with something consoling to say to her. She always seemed to have a problem letting go of the people she loved. It had taken her years to get over her infatuation with Grissom, months to recover from Hank's infidelity enough to trust men again. Greg had been gone for six months and she hadn't made but a few steps towards independence from him. Now that he had come back into her life, just to alienate her, who knew how long it would take her to move forward this time?

Her shoulders began to shake, and Nick didn't hesitate before pulling her close to him, letting her warm tears fall onto his chest, barely concealed by a muscle shirt. As much as he hated to see her hurting, he would definitely miss having her this close to him once she began to move on from this heartache. There hadn't been a single day since that night in the hospital that they hadn't been together. She spent the majority of time at his house or at work, and the shakiness of their friendship had now been built back up to the state it had been a few weeks earlier, before Greg had returned.

"How could he have not told me about her?" Sara asked, her face still buried in Nick's shoulder, "After everything, how could he keep her a secret?"

Nick remained silent, not knowing the answer to her question, but wondering the same question. Why had Greg come back, attempting to rekindle friendships, and never once mentioned his girlfriend back home?

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello! Well, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that instead of combining the Cath/Warrick storyline with the Nick/Sara/Greg/Angelle storyline, I'm going to separate them into two different stories. The bad new is, I'm still working on the Cath/Warrick side. The story will be titled "Blame" and should be up this weekend, but no guarantees. It is being worked on, though. It was becoming difficult to work them all together, and I figured it would just be easier that way. So, don't be confused if you see another Shadows Sequel out there...lol..._

_Also sorry it took me so long to get this out, I've been very sick and haven't been in the mood to do much of anything lately. Hopefully people are still reading, and hopefully you'll be kind enough to leave me thoughts on this chapter. Replies make chapters flow quicker. _

_Jenny_

**Betrayal:**

**Chapter Two:**

Greg pulled his pillow over his head, a scowl on his face as he listened to Angelle singing loudly in the next room. He winced as she hit a high note, sticking his fingers in his ears to try and block out the sound. Angelle wasn't a bad singer, by any means, but she definitely thought she had a larger range than she had. She hit a high note again, and Greg smiled, thinking of the cat he owned when he was a kid. It made the same sound when his little sister pulled it's tail.

_"Jolie blon, regardez donc qupo t'as fait"_

Greg cringed, closing his eyes and praying the noise would stop. He knew the song she was singing, she had a dozen CD's with that song on them, although if he didn't know the words, there would have been no way to guess that was what she was trying to sing. So far, not a single note had been on pitch.

_"Tu m'a quitte poir t'en aller_

_Pour T'en aller avec un autre, oui, que moi"_

Greg slammed his fist against the bed, groaning. Finally having enough, he yelled, "Ang, shut up!"

"You called, Greg?" Angelle asked, appearing in the doorway a few seconds later. "What do you need?"

Greg moaned, rubbing his temples, "Keep it down out there, okay?"

"Sorry." Angelle replied with a sheepish grin. "I cleaned up the living room and bathroom, all that's left is the kitchen. I told you I'd get this place spic and span!" She glanced over at Greg's cell phone, which was sitting on the table, "No one's called."

Greg's eyes narrowed, "Thanks for stating the obvious."

"Stop boudeing." Angelle replied, crossing her arms, "Honestly, I've never seen someone your age pout as much as you do. I'll start on dinner once I finish cleaning the kitchen. Get some sleep, your attitude needs it, couyon."

"Okay, Mom." Greg huffed, turning onto his side. He quickly pulled the pillow over his head as Angelle picked up where she had left off, still unable to correctly match the tune or notes of the song she was supposed to be singing.

_"Quel espoir et quel avenir, mais, moi, je vais avoir"_

"Couyon." Greg muttered, "Pot, Kettle, Black. If I'm stupid, you sure as hell are too."

Greg and Angelle had been tense since arriving back at the apartment Angelle had rented for them. It was a roach-infested hole-in-the-wall, but Angelle swore with a little help, it would be great. Of course, it was in Angelle's very nature to make sure it was only one bedroom, and although she swore she had no idea, Greg was able to see right through that lie.

What did bother him, however, was the fact that none of his friends had bothered to call. He knew that their friendship had been rocky since he had moved away, but he had no idea it was this bad. Even if no one else had bothered, he had thought for sure that Sara would at least check on him. Yet, day after day, Angelle constantly reminded him that none of his friends called, and obviously he wasn't that important to them.

His phone began to ring, but before he was able to make it out of bed, the horrid singing stopped and Angelle rushed in, snatching the phone and pressing the "send" button. She waited in silence for a few moments, before turning it off with a sigh, "Another hang up call. I wish there was a way to track this guy down and turn him in for prank phone calls."

She shook her head, walking out of the room, leaving a sullen Greg behind. Every time the phone rang, he hoped it was Sara, and every time, he was disappointed. He sunk back onto his pillows, silently fuming. He couldn't believe that she had just taken his phone with her. She had been nothing but pushy and nosy since she arrived, and it was really making him start to wonder if his friends were calling, and she was just neglecting to tell him. Of course, he knew Angelle didn't have it in her to be so deceitful, but there were times he just couldn't help but wonder if she was with him to support her own agenda.

He knew Angelle as well as she knew him, and there was no question in his mind that she was sincerely sorry that his friends had not contacted him. She knew how much he loved and respected his old CSI team, she knew how much they meant to him. There was no way she'd intentionally jeopardize that relationship. Sure, she may make bad decisions sometimes, but even Angelle wouldn't stoop that low.

His cell rang again, but before he could consider getting out of bed, Angelle called out, "It's my sister!"

A few minutes later, she began to "sing" again, her voice echoing on the small apartment walls. Greg moaned and slowly sat up. He needed a shower, and, if he was lucky, the running water would tune out his tone-deaf roommate.

---

"Would you wait for me?" Sara gasped, clutching her side as she made her way towards Nick, "When did you start working out again?"

Nick laughed, stopping and turning to face the brunette, "This, coming from the same girl who's beat me at every athletic bet for the past 6 months? I say that this is only a drop in the bucket, Miss Sidle."

"Whatever it is, slow down." Sara panted, bending over with her hands resting on her knees, "You're killing me, Stokes. We've had to run, what? 3 miles?"

Nick glanced down at his pedometer, a grin on his face, "3/4 of a mile. You're out of shape."

"Your pedometer must be wrong." Sara panted, "Water?"

Nick handed her the plastic bottle, watching as she took a giant swig, "Woah there, you don't want to drink too much and make yourself sick."

"Don't tell me what to do." Sara gasped, "Show off, you're barely sweating."

Nick rolled his eyes, stretching his arms and legs, "If I was showing off, I would have left you trailing behind. We'll take a break and pick it up in a few minutes."

She remained silent, and unable to resist, he added in a teasing tone, "Honestly, Sara, how did you pass your yearly physical?"

"Shut up!" Sara exclaimed with a laugh, hitting his arm, "You're a horrible, horrible person Nicholas Stokes."

"And you're just little Miss Sunshine." Nick replied, his hand on her back, slightly concerned as she still struggled to slow her breathing down, "You okay?"

Sara nodded, wheezing slightly as she straightened back to a standing position, "Haven't done this in awhile."

"Obviously." Nick joked, earning him another slap on his arm. "Ready?"

Sara nodded, stifling a yawn as she tried to keep up with Nick's pace. She hadn't been sleeping well since Greg was taken to the hospital, and the stress of the situation had began to take it's toll on her, depriving her of already limited sleep. She desperately tried to push the heavy fog of exhaustion away, determined not to be beat by Nick.

Fighting another yawn, she convinced her body to speed a little faster, surpassing Nick by a few steps and causing him to protest. "You weren't able to beat me before, what makes you think you can now?" Sara laughed, holding her arm out so he couldn't pass her up, "Who was it that you said was out of shape?"

Nick laughed, dodging her hand and sprinting to a few steps in front of Sara, "Is everything a competition with you?"

"Pot, kettle..." Sara laughed, "You know you like it."

Nick slowed down a little, panting as he began to grow winded, "Right, I like being beat by a girl."

"Finally, he admits it." Sara teased, taking another swig of the cool water and holding the bottle to her forehead, "We're both out of shape."

She stumbled a bit, causing Nick to reached out and steady her, "Woah there, are you okay?"

"Lost my balance, that's all." Sara replied sheepishly, "Thanks."

Giving her a worried glance, Nick shook his head and looked down at his watch, "We'll go to the end of this block and then we'll have to head home, or else we'll be late for work."

"God Forbid we're late to work." Sara said with a smile, "They'd probably call out the search dogs for us."

"Race you to the end of the block." Nick said, waiting for her to process the thought before taking off down the sidewalk.

Sara broke into a run, barely able to catch up with the Texan, "What was that about everything being a competition?"

"You're just a sore loser!" Nick replied, trying his hardest to stay a step ahead of Sara, "I'm going to beat you this time."

"In your dreams." Sara panted, using the remainder of her energy burst to get a few steps in front of him right before the curb. She grabbed ahold of the lamppost, leaning against it as she smiled, "Beat you."

"I let you win."

"Right."

--

Greg slid on his sandals, quietly opening the bedroom door and peeking into the rest of the apartment. As he expected, Angelle was laying on the couch, half asleep as she fast- forwarded through her soap operas. If he played his cards right, he could probably get out of the apartment without her even realizing he was gone. It wasn't that she was forcing him to stay, but the lecture that would accompany his exit wouldn't be worth the trouble of actually going outside. Right now, he just needed silence and fresh air.

The front door creaked as it opened, but Angelle didn't seem to notice. Greg couldn't see her face, but he wouldn't doubt if she had actually fallen asleep. He winced as his chest constricted with a cough that needed to escape, but he forced himself not to do so until he was out of the apartment. With a soft click, the door shut behind him and he allowed himself to cough, pressing his hand against his chest as he did so. He was feeling a lot better than he had while in the hospital, but it was clear that he was still on the path to recovery.

He slowly descended the stairs, wheezing slightly by the time he reached the bottom, and stepped into the warm sunshine. He took a deep breath, coughing slightly, and shut his eyes, enjoying the warmth that beat down on his body. Walking to the front of the building, he inhaled deeply again, staring up into the cloudless sky.

He sharply turned his head as he heard her voice in the distance. He had to be imagining things, there was no way that Sara Sidle could be coming through his neighborhood right now. As he heard her voice again, there was no denying it. Happiness warmed his heart for a split second, until he remembered how she had neglected to contact him since his attack. After all of the grief she gave him for running away from his problems, she had done the exact same thing to him. Anger replacing warmth, he pushed himself away from the wall and headed down to the street to confront her.

"Sara Sidle."

_TBC, if wished. _

_Song used: "Jolie Blon", can't remember who it's by. _

_Translations: Boude: To pout. Couyon: Pig, Stubborn, Stupid. Couldn't translate the French in the song, even if I tried...did horribly in French...only know what's spoken day to day down here. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, I went back and forth for a long, long time trying to decide where I was going to go with this story. Let me know if you're still reading!_

_Jenny_

**Betrayal - Chapter Three:**

"Sara Sidle."

Upon hearing Greg's voice, Sara abruptly stopped, almost falling as Nick collided with her. Nick put a steadying hand on her shoulder as Sara began to tremble slightly, hesitating before taking a step towards the younger man.

"Greg." She said softly, her eyes filled with unshed tears as she tried to catch a breath, still winded from her jog with Nick. "Um...what are you doing here?"

Greg gestured to the apartment, "Living here. Angie and I got an apartment--"

"Oh." Sara interrupted, trying to keep her voice even as she replied, "Congratulations. How are you feeling?"

Greg raised an eyebrow, "Oh, so now you're worried how I am? Took you, what, three weeks to ask?"

"What are you talking about?" Sara asked sharply, her eyes narrowing, "Me? You've been the one avoiding my calls."

Greg shook his head, holding his hand up, "Forget it. I'm not really in the mood to talk. I should be getting back inside, anyway, Angelle's going to worry."

"Oh, and we can't let that happen, can we?" Nick asked sharply, grabbing Sara's arm as she turned to leave, "You owe us--at least Sara--an explanation. You can't just shut out people for no reason."

Greg looked from Nick to Sara, then back to Nick before responding cooly, "I don't owe either of you anything."

"Greg!" Angelle's voice called from the top of the stairs, "Pigeon, come back to bed, you shouldn't be out and about."

She walked down a few steps, spotting Sara and Nick. Plastering a huge grin on her face, she said sweetly, "Sara, how wonderful to see you! And Nick, is it? I'm Angelle Orgeron, Greg's uh, friend from home."

Sara resisted the urge to gag, glancing to Nick before giving an equally fake smile to Angelle, "Wonderful to see you too. Wouldn't want to keep your _pigeon_ out any longer than need be, so we'll be going."

"Will you call?" Greg asked, halfway hopeful despite the disappointment he felt.

Sara glanced at Angelle's seemingly angelic face before enthusiastically nodding, "Of course. You still have the same number, right?"

"You know I do." Greg replied, looking at Sara strangely.

Sara and Angelle stared at each other, both silently daring the other to back down first. Greg looked from Angelle to Sara, then back to Angelle, asking softly, "Why would you think my number changed?"

"Well, every time I try to call it, I can't get through to you." Sara replied, her gaze narrowing as Angelle slightly looked away. "I wanted to make sure you were still using the same number."

Greg started to speak, but Angelle's syrupy sweet voice cut him off, "Maybe it's just been so long that you don't remember the number correctly."

Sara straightened her posture a bit, ready to take Angelle on if need be, but Nick touched her arm softly, "We're going to be late for work."

"I'll call you, Greg." Sara murmured, still staring intently at the other woman. "And if I can't get through, I'll come by."

Greg started to say something, but Angelle cut him off before he could get the words out, "Come on, pige, it's time for some rest."

Angelle led Greg towards the stairs, slowly leading him to the second floor. Halfway up, she stopped, studying him intently. "What's bothering you, sug?"

"Why were you so rude to her?"

"Don't be silly." Angelle replied, shaking her head with a smile, "I wasn't rude to her."

Greg sighed with a shrug, "You weren't necessarily rude, but...I don't know...why don't you like her?"

"She's done nothing but use you when it's convenient to her, and she's broken your heart more than once. Do you expect me to take her in my heart and treat her like family? I just can't do that, and I don't understand how you can." Angelle replied, opening the door and leading Greg to the bedroom, "You're such a good man, and no one sees that. They treat you like garbage, and you always come back for more."

Greg laid down, too tired to defend himself or his friends. He knew that his relationships with his Vegas "family" wasn't like Angelle described it, no mater how strained things had become over the last year. With every action initiated by Sara that hurt him, he knew there had to be twice as many made on his behalf that ripped her to pieces. It was part of their dynamic, part of their relationship, part of their history...he didn't expect Angelle to understand, although he did expect her to accept it.

He had almost fallen asleep when Angelle walked into the room, a glass of tea in her hand, "I made you some warm tea, pigeon." She handed him the glass, sitting beside him and urging him to drink it, "It's going to make you get better faster than you can imagine."

"Did you make it yourself?" Greg asked, taking a sip, "Mmm, this is amazing."

Angelle smiled proudly, "It's an old family recipe. Good for your heart, good for your soul." She kissed his forehead gently, moving her hand to his cheek, then his forehead, "You're getting warm again, I'll get you some aspirin. Get some rest, okay? We don't want you to have to go back to the hospital, now, do we?"

Angelle bounced out of the room, and Greg moaned, finishing off the tea and placing it on his bedside table. He hated being cared for and babied. His parents and grandparents had never made this big of a fuss over him, and since he was used to fending for himself, this treatment was very smothering and overwhelming. He knew Angelle would be back soon, probably ready to talk until he fell asleep, and as much as he liked her, he wasn't in the mood for babying and visiting. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the short period of silence, unable to shake the feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

--

"I don't know what he sees in her. Tell me that you got the same vibe from her." Sara huffed, a few steps in front of Nick as they jogged their way back to Nick's house.

Nick groaned, speeding up to his brunette counterpart, "There is something off about her, but I wouldn't say that she's a bad person."

"She's not telling him I'm calling. I know it. I just know it. That little witch." Sara said, slowing down to catch her breath, "I can't stand her. Call it a hunch..."

"I know." Nick replied, taking a few deep breaths himself. It was no secret that he and Greg didn't get along, and hadn't in awhile, and even now he was finding it hard to take up for him, even if it meant pleasing Sara.

His lack of enthusiasm was unnoticed by Sara, who could only continue to rant and rave about the girl interfering in her love life. She didn't have any proof that Angelle was the reason things were falling apart right now, but she couldn't deny that she and Greg had been on a smooth path until Angelle came to Vegas. Well, as smooth as it could be for them, anyway.

With a determined nod, she decided it was time to take a closer look at Angelle Orgeron, and she knew just the person to ask for help.

--

"Do you realize we could lose our jobs for this?" Catherine asked, shutting the blinds in her office.

Sara bit her lip with a worried nod, "I know. But you have to see where I'm coming from...wouldn't you want to do the same thing if there someone coming between you and Warrick?"

"Of course." Catherine responded, hurriedly opening the strip of paper with a screen-name and password on it, "And I don't think Callahan will rat on us for borrowing his log in information, but there is risk involved."

Sara nodded, glancing down at her watch, "Okay, we'll make it quick. In and out, and then we're done."

"I've talked to her a few times," Catherine offered as the page uploaded, "She's a complete bitch, I can tell just by listening to her talk. She's never been rude, but she's just..."

"I know." Sara agreed, "She just rubs you the wrong way."

Catherine nodded, "Okay, where is she from? What's her full name?"

"Angelle Orgeron, New Orleans." Sara replied, "I think she said she was living with Greg in Houston though, so check there too."

Catherine was silent for a moment as she waited for her inquiry results to come back. After a few minutes, her eyes widened as she glanced over to Sara, "Paydirt."

"Let me see." Sara exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and trying to look over Catherine's shoulder, "What is it?"

Catherine printed the report before shutting down the screen, turning back to face an eager Sara, "Once Greg sees this, he'll be appalled at what he's living with."

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Notes: Thank you to Emmithar for forcing me to do this. And for literally writing the first part of this. You're a life-saver. And for also being such a good sport about helping me do research on one thing and having me go in a different direction. On the flip side, she did learn a lot about Cajun heritage. Lol. You're the best, girl. _

_Let me know what you think! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed last time...you made my day!_

_Jenny_

**Chapter Four:**

"Has anyone called?" Greg asked groggily, sitting up in bed. He felt worse than before, which was a miracle that was beyond him.

Angelle came around, pressing a hand to his head with a sigh. "You're running a fever again pigeon, I told you that you shouldn't have taken that hot shower." She tsked lightly, ignoring his earlier question. "I'll get you some water, and we'll see if you can hold that down before giving you anything else."

"Did Sara call?" Greg wondered again, brushing her hand from his face. He was still upset with her, but barely able to control it as a wave of nausea rolled over him.

"I'm sorry Greg, no one has. I know how much you want to talk with them, but they just don't care."

"They seemed to care when I talked with them earlier," Greg pointed out, scowling. If only he could get this horrendous headache to die down then he could argue reasonably.

"Earlier?" Angelle laughed, smiling sadly, "You must have been dreaming. You've been sleeping all afternoon."

Greg snorted, "Dreaming? You were outside with us Angie, you saw them just as well as I did. Apparently the calls haven't been coming through. Hard for me to know, since you never let me answer the phone anymore."

"Outside?" she laughed, "Greg dear, you haven't been outside since the day you came home from the hospital. You've been dreaming, poor thing. Let Angie get you something to calm you down."

"I wasn't dreaming," Greg stated firmly, looking at her. "I saw what I saw. After I took my shower I dressed, and then went outside. You were watching your soap operas."

"Oh Cher bebe', don't you remember? You fell in the shower, passed out. It was a good thing I was putting clean blankets on your bed too, you could have drowned. The doctors says you probably moved around to much, you may feel better, but you're still sick."

"I, no, I know that I talked with them, call Sara, let me call her and ask her, she'll tell you." he wasn't able to finish as he broke out into a coughing fit.

Angelle stroked his back, waiting for him to calm down. "Don't get yourself all worked up, I'll call her if you really want me too. I just don't want to see you get hurt anymore. You deserve better than her, I don't know why you keep on trying."

Greg drew in a raspy breath, leaning back against the pillows. Maybe he had imagined it all, maybe he had passed out, that would explain why he felt so tired. But everything seemed so real; the conversation, the smell of the fresh air. He let out a sigh, feeling more tired than before, and certainly more confused than ever.

--

"Someone has to tell Greg." Catherine said quietly, handing Sara Angelle's rap sheet, "He could be in serious danger."

"I can't tell him, he'd never believe me," Sara said quickly, shaking her head vigorously, "Besides, that witch won't let me anywhere near him."

Catherine plucked the paper back from Sara's hands, sighing heavily. She had assumed Sara would want to help out her friend, considering the possible danger he was facing. Glancing down at the paper, then back at Sara, she said firmly, "I'll do it, but you need to get Angelle out of their place long enough for me to talk to him. You said you could reach them through Greg's number, right?"

"Right."

"Well, call her and get her out of their apartment." Catherine said quietly, reviewing the list of charges.

Sara glanced skeptically at Catherine, shaking her head with disbelief, "Are you insane? Do you really think she'd willingly do anything I suggest. How do you expect _me_ to get _her_ out of the house?"

"You've talked to her, find something that will catch her interest." Catherine replied, standing and walking to the door, "Call me when you have it arranged, we need to get out of here before someone catches us rifling around where we aren't supposed to be."

Catherine walked out of the office, leaving a defeated Sara frowning at the floor. This was going to be nearly impossible.

--

"_Down in Louisiana, where the black trees grow,_

_Lives a voodoo lady named Marie Laveau"_

Angelle draped a black sheet over the kitchen blinds, tapping her foot off beat to the music she had ingrained in her head. She turned the burner on the stove from the number five to three, and stirred it slowly using a heavy iron ladle. She grew quiet, letting the concoction slowly boil for a few moments.

She draped her black shawl over her shoulders, slowly creeping towards the bedroom. Greg's even breathing told her he was still asleep, and she gave a silent praise before turning around and opening the balcony door. She knelt on the ground beside a potted plant, taking a bit of soil and the bud off of one of the stems. Making sure no one was watching her, she slipped back inside.

"_Got a black cat's tooth and a mojo bone_

_And anyone who wouldn't leave her alone..."_

Doing a two-step turn, she made her way back to the stove, opening an unlabeled jar and pinching a bit of the herb between her fingers, dropping it into the pot. Looking over her shoulder, towards Greg's room, she shrugged and dropped a second pinch in. She hated to do this to him, but he had brought it on himself.

Lighting a candle, she said a silent chant before turning the stove back up to full heat.

"_She'd go ieee...another man done gone"_

She cursed loudly as the phone rang, interrupting not only her song, but her ritual. She hurried to answer it, glaring at the contraption when she saw the familiar name pop up on the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Angelle? This is Sara, you know, from--"

"I know who you are." Angelle replied impatiently, moving to the stove and stirring the contents of the iron pot. "Greg's asleep. What do you want?"

Sara's first instinct was to snap at Angelle, but taking a calming breath, she responded, "We got off to a rocky start. Obviously you're very important to Greg...I think it would be a good idea for us to sit down and talk."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Angelle replied, distracted by her stove top concoction, "I don't really have anything to say to you."

Sara paused, disappointed even though she had expected that response. Deciding to give it another try, she took a deep breath and hurriedly spit out, "I know you two are together, and I'm not going to try and get him back. I just want to be his friend, and it would mean a lot to me to be your friend as well."

"I'm not interested, Sara." Angelle replied, pressing the "end" button while blowing out her candle.

She lit a separate candle, bending over the stove and draping her shawl over the concoction, muttering a few quiet words in French. Dipping Greg's toothbrush in the mixture, she let it sit for a few minutes, her eyes shut tightly as she let the spirits guide her. A burst of adrenaline pumped through her veins as she whispered her chant repetitively, her blood pounding in her ears as she began to tremble. As her voice started to grow louder, her concentration was broken by the shrill ringing of Greg's cell phone.

"What!" Angelle snapped, enraged at being interrupted again. Blowing out her candle, she slammed her fist against the counter. If she kept getting interrupted, she'd never finish this elixir before Greg woke up.

Sara's voice rang through the phone once more, obviously taken aback by Angelle's greeting, "Angelle? It's Sara again. I think we should give each other a chance...our first meeting was on really bad terms, and obviously neither of us handled ourselves well--"

"Fine, meet me tomorrow morning at the diner on Tropicana. Do you know the one I'm talking about?"

"By the construction site?" Sara asked, "What time?"

"That's the one. Meet me out front at 9 am. We'll do this, but only for Greg. I'll be honest with you, I have no desire to be your friend, or your anything. But I do love Greg, and I'm sure this would mean a lot to him..."

"Okay then, the diner at 9. See you then."

Angelle hung up the phone, hastily turning it off before she could be interrupted again. She couldn't believe Sara's audacity. What on Earth could they possibly have to talk about?

Checking on Greg once more, she rubbed her neck, trying to relax and loosen up again. She had to get this finished before Greg woke up and started asking questions. As she struck the match against the box, she narrowed her eyes, putting everything down and walked into the living room, opening her suitcase and pulling out a book.

Why hadn't she thought of this before? It wasn't as if she hadn't dealt with needy ex-girlfriends before, they were almost guaranteed in her line of work. Normally they were a much bigger nuisance than this Sara girl. And they all had been handled the same way...flipping the aged book to a marked page, she sighed happily. She would need to restock her inventory soon, but she had just enough to take care of Sara Sidle long enough to achieve her goals with Greg.

Bringing the book with her, she laid it on the counter, closing her eyes and stepping towards the stove. Exhaling deeply, she lit her candle and began to chant once more.

No one dared to cross Angelle Ogeron, and while the people in Greg's life weren't aware of that before, they'd surely be aware of it now.

_TBC_

_Song used: Marie Laveau by Bobby Bare_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Notes: Thanks to Emmithar for another wonderful night of helping me with this chapter. It's been a pain to write, but now that it's done, I can say that this is the LAST chapter of Betrayals. I'll make a sequel if you'd like...but I need to be begged with replies...there are a lot of loose ends to be tied up, and all will be cleared in the next story of this saga, entitled "Healing". _

**Chapter Five:**

Greg cautiously opened his eyes, relieved to see that the room had stopped spinning since had he last gone to sleep. He raised his hand to his forehead, relieved to find cool skin greeting his touch. He could honestly say he felt a lot better than he had in awhile.

He turned to the coffee table, not too surprised to see Angelle had left him a cup of tea. Sniffing, he found she had even put peppermint in it as he had requested the previous night. Closing his eyes, he took a long sip, a smile on his lips.

As irritating as Angelle could be at times, she was still great to have around when you felt like being doted on. He finished his tea, enjoying the silence of the house. He loved having her around, but when she was gone, the silence was delightful. There was something about little Cajun girls, he had met enough of Angelle's friends to know it wasn't just her, that made them want to talk day in and day out.

He stood, stretching with a yawn as he walked towards the door. Deciding he was in desperate need of some quality television, he flopped onto the couch and mindlessly flipped through channels until stopping on a hard rock music station. Picking up a book from the end table, he began to flip through it, rolling his eyes when he realized it was one of Angelle's.

He only made it through the first few pages when he realized what he was reading...it was one of her cookbooks from back home. Making a face, he began to flip through recipes to cook any wild game, from squirrel to snake, and in an instant, made the decision to never eat a meaty meal that Angelle prepared.

He was about to dig for something else to read when there was a quiet knock on the door. Looking through the peephole, he was surprised to see Catherine's nervous face on the other side.

He swung open the door, motioning for her to come in, "Long time, no see."

"I've been trying to call, are you avoiding me?" Catherine asked, friendly enough to pass off as teasing, but with a serious edge to show him that she meant business.

Greg shrugged, "Angelle stepped out, she must have taken the cell."

"That's nice of her." Catherine muttered, "You're looking well."

"I'm feeling a lot better." Greg replied, motioning for her to take a seat, "I was assuming this is a social call, but you look so serious that I'm reconsidering."

Catherine leaned back in her chair, so she could accurately gauge Greg's reaction, "I'm here about Angelle."

--

Taking another sip of the icy water, Sara glanced around the café, doing her best to try and make everything out. Angelle was due any minute now, if in fact she had kept up to the agreement. Or maybe she had conveniently forgotten.

Sara huffed, bringing the glass back up to her lips. Her throat was so dry, mostly due to the nervousness that she was beginning to feel. She was starting to regret this decision, despite how important it had been. After all, the last thing in the world she wanted right now was to befriend Angelle. If anything, she wanted the woman to die some slow, painful death, and rot away unseen down somewhere in the sewers. And that was putting it lightly.

Still she had to at least try; It would take Catherine a good portion of her wits to convince Greg that they were telling him the truth. Angelle, whether Sara liked it or not, had become a part of Greg's life, and it was clear that he trusted her fully. Sara hated knowing that Greg was being led blind, but what made her feel even worse was the fact there was very little she could do.

Sara glanced up as Angelle slid into the seat across from her, a slight frown crossing her face. "I wasn't sure if you were going to come," Sara remarked.

"Don't try to reprimand me," Angelle returned, "What do you want?"

"I want to get to know you better, learn a little about your past with Greg. When I talked to him the other day he seemed a little upset that we didn't talk very much anymore," Sara nodded to her, being careful not to mention the fact that she had tried numerous times to contact the man. She wanted Angelle to feel as though she was steering the conversation, at least for now.

"There's really nothing much to tell," Angelle shrugged, "Greg and I met, we became close friends. He was pretty upset about everything that happened back here. How all of you blamed him for things he couldn't even control."

"Not all of us," Sara commented sternly, "We all know what happened was an accident, just a few of us got a little worked up over it. Greg left before we could explain anything. We all miss him, and we're happy that he's home."

"Vegas isn't his home," Angelle cut in, "It might be where he lived, but that's not his home. You see, a home is where you have friends, people that won't hurt you."

"Greg has friends here," Sara cut her off, trying to keep her anger under control. This wasn't exactly going as planned, "We all care about him, why do you think I convinced him to come back? Because we hated him?"

"Oh I don't know, to mock him maybe. You enjoy toying with his emotions. He's told me enough to know better. How you didn't want to be with him, you keep leading him on with false hopes."

"That's not true," Sara shook her head, bewildered that she would even say that. Surely Greg wouldn't have. There was no way he could honestly believe that was what happened. And even if he had, would he confide in a complete stranger? That may have been what Angelle started out as, but obviously she wasn't anymore.

Angelle raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of the cold glass of water the waitress had just placed in front of her, "Are you so sure about that? Greg certainly believes it's true."

"I don't believe you." Sara replied uncertainly, "You're the one who's keeping him from his friends when he needs them the most."

"Greg needs stability." Angelle replied, "Something I can give to him, and you obviously can not. You guys mistreat him and constantly push him away, I can offer him so much more."

"What do you think you can offer him that I can't?" Sara snapped, all self restraint evaporating as she realized just how much she hated this woman.

Angelle leaned back, smirking slightly, "He told me how you were embarrassed to be seen with him in public, how you were ashamed to tell anyone you were together. He told me everything, Sara, and I'm willing to give him all of that and more."

"I wasn't ashamed of him, and there's no way he said that--"

"But he did." Angelle said firmly, leaning forward, "He told me _everything_ that happened. I know about you, I know about Catherine, I know about Nick, and I know about Warrick. I know _everything._ It took a lot of hard work to get him to open up to me, to trust me, and I'm not going to allow you to take that away."

Sara shook her head vehemently, "You can't chose who his friends are, no matter how hard you try." Inside, her blood was boiling as she realized that Greg had disclosed all of this information to a woman he barely knew, when he wouldn't even begin to share the details with her. With trembling hands, she forced herself to push aside her anger towards Greg and focus on her hatred of this horrible witch. Taking a sip of her water, she spat out, "You can't block his calls forever, you can't make him forget about us, and you can't make him move halfway across the country if we convince him to stay here."

"You're making one small miscalculation," Angelle said lethally, "Under normal circumstances, you are absolutely right, but these are not normal circumstances."

Raising an eyebrow, Sara took the bait, "And why is that?"

"Because when you are carrying a man's child, he will go to great lengths to keep his family together."

--

"You're insane!" Greg exclaimed, "There's no way that Angelle is a murderer."

Catherine leaned forward, speaking softly, "Greg, look at the evidence. Angelle's last three relationships have ended in the coroner's office. She's been brought in for questioning and arrested in all instances, only to get off on technicalities."

"The charges were dismissed, she was innocent." Greg replied, crossing his arms angrily, "Catherine, if she murdered her lovers, she'd be in jail right now."

"You know as well as I do that sometimes guilty people are let free." Catherine insisted, "Greg, just consider it, okay?"

"I don't know what you're playing at, Catherine, but I expected you to behave a little more maturely than this. Angelle has a good heart, and she's gone through some rough times in her life. It would break her heart if she knew these horrible things you were saying behind her back."

With a heavy sigh, Greg stood and motioned towards the doorway, "I'm feeling a little tired, I think you should leave."

"Promise me you'll be careful." Catherine pleaded quietly, "I'm being serious."

Greg nodded, opening the door, "I'll be careful, but I still believe you're way off base here."

She walked out, and Greg closed the door behind her, shaking his head in disbelief. Angelle? A murderer? It would be a cold day in hell when such a caring person could commit such a hateful crime.

--

Sara stormed into her apartment, throwing her keys onto the counter with such force that she knocked over a stack of mail that had been piling up for the past week.

She couldn't believe it, that little twit was pregnant with Greg's child. She wasn't sure who she was more upset with, Angelle for somehow tricking Greg into getting her pregnant, or Greg for sleeping with that evil demon spawn.

Tears threatened to spill from her blurry eyes, but she bit them back, refusing to give in. If Greg could move on with such low life trash, then she could definitely move on without feeling the slightest bit of remorse. She had been holding back for months now, waiting for Greg to somehow come back into her life so they could pick up their relationship where they had left off. She had ignored everyone's warnings that things like that just didn't happen. She had remained miserable while he started a new life and made new friends. And now, it was time to regain control of her life.

Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number, her heart beating wildly as it began to ring.

"_Hello?"_ came a sleepy voice over the line.

"Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry." Sara apologized quietly, "I can call back..."

"_No, don't worry about it. Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine...there's something I need to ask you." Sara paused, her heart beating madly with trepidation, "Nick? Would you like to go out on a date with me?"

The line was silent, and Sara held her breath tightly with anticipation.

"_I...I'd love to."_

With a smile, Sara hung up the phone, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She was finally moving on.

_The End._


End file.
